There’s two types of digital cameras to concern yourself with: point-and-shoot digicams and DSLRs. If you’re a casual shooter of snapshots, you’ll probably want a digicam. If you’re seriously interested in photography, you’ll want a DSLR.

Digicams make up the vast majority of consumer digital cameras on the market. Usually, they cost between $100 and $300, and are simple point-and-shoot affairs. A digicam has an electronic viewfinder on a built-in LCD display, and generally takes care of everything short of zooming without any user input, including focus. They often also have a lot of fun novelty features, like automatic smile detection, fun image filters, or even automatic YouTube video conversion. They are fantastic choices for almost everyone with a totally casual interest in photography.

The problem with digicams, though, is also their greatest benefit: they take control out of the hands of the user. For professionals then, or amateur photographers, digicams won’t get the job done.

For these types of photographers, a digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera is the way to go. Think of DSLRs as a high-end 35mm camera to the digicam’s Polaroid Instant. Digicams sacrifice user-friendliness for user options and quality. A DSLR allows a photographer to change out lenses, manually focus, capture photographic effects like depth of field (probably the signature aesthetic of DSLR photography), and balance color and light within the camera. DSLRs offer better quality photography, plain and simple… but only in the hands of photographers who know what they are doing with one. DSLRs aren’t cheap, though: they start at $500, but can easily cost thousands of dollars.

Ultimately, the question that needs to inform your choice is whether your interest in photography is casual, or more serious. If it is casual, you will still be able to take great images with a digicam: photo composition and framing count for a lot! But if you have any interest in photography ranging from amateur status to the professional, you’ll want to invest in a DSLR.